LA’s Mating Ritual delivers new album Hot Content and preps for North American tour

Music fit for a pool party

A warning should come on Mating Ritual’s new record—like a Parental Advisory sticker, but spicier. It could resemble a chili pepper or a flame, or another universally accepted symbol for heat. That is, of course, because the LA-based duo’s third LP is a cache of Hot Content; fans can get their fill when the band heads out on a tour of North America this fall.

The origins of Mating Ritual can be traced back to another act known as Pacific Air. It was comprised of the same people: two practically identical, not-twin brothers, Ryan and Taylor Lawhon. You can only tell them apart in press photos by Taylor’s cigarette. When he went off to college, Ryan began working on something new, something that would let him continue to make music in his brother’s absence. In the end, though, Taylor returned home and immediately became part of the new project.

The title of the new record proves that these brothers don’t take themselves too seriously. While the meme-ified phrase “hot content” has no intrinsic meaning, anyone who spends time on social media understands its intent: a piece of digital media that is topical or at least meme-relevant. Not so surprisingly, it was originally an Instagram joke which took on a life of its own.

This album rises to its namesake—it is fun and easy to dance to and resplendent in relatable details. Its track sequence starts with infatuation via the cheekily titled 'U.N.I.', which successfully subverts one of the most common song titles ('You & I'). Life gets in the way of love in 'Future Now' and 'Falling Back', which both contain commentary on the impossible bleakness of society today. Even 'Boys Don’t Have To Be Boys' addresses toxic masculinity by putting it bluntly: “It don’t make you a man to be out of control.” By the time you reach 'Stupid Romantic Things', the crush of the record’s protagonist has fled. As the penultimate track, it mirrors 'U.N.I.' on several levels—not only in the sequencing, but also as a climax to the sonic narrative.

The music is fit for a pool party. It starts with a buzzing calm typically found on a vaporwave record, and cuts to golden garage-pop, similar to that of Cults or Best Coast. 'Panic Attack' picks up where the intro left off, implying an emotional devolution after the high of 'U.N.I.' in the form of extra synths and guitars. The band slows the tempo for 'The Name of Love,' giving several synthesizers space to swirl. They pick the pace back up immediately, with new wave sensibilities spread across 'October Lover' and 'Good God Regina It’s a Bomb'.

When Taylor rejoined the band, he and Ryan wasted no time in setting themselves lofty goals. Primarily, that they would release five albums in five years. With Hot Content, they are right on schedule, and arguably ahead of it; 2019 is the third year of the band and there are still seven months to go. Plenty of time to tour their existing tunes and lay down some sizzling new ones. Or just scroll Instagram until even the hottest content turns cold.